Hundreds sign petition for Fife man to clear garden ‘rubbish’ he claims is art

Hundreds of petitioners have called on a Fife man to remove a controversial “artwork” from his garden.

Neighbours believe the pile at the back of Denis Carbonaro’s Dalgety Bay home is “rubbish” and an “eyesore”.

Mr Carbonaro, known as the Hippy Artist, calls his semi-detached Strathbeg Drive house the Bark Park.

His garden has various items including a shrine created during the Covid pandemic.

But the Bark Park’s ‘artwork’ has been criticised by locals for bringing down the area.

John Kirby set up a Change.org petition on October 4 that is closing in on its target of 1,000 signatures.

The 62-year-old says he is finding it impossible to sell his late mum’s house next door to the artist.

“This isn’t art,” John said.

“This is rubbish, an eyesore and a fire hazard.

“It is making it impossible for me to sell my mum’s house and I really need to pay for various costs – including care home costs.”

Petition to remove ‘artwork’ outside Dalgety Bay home

John’s petition says: “Carbonaro -The Hippy Artist –  must be stopped from hoarding rubbish in his garden as a protest to local residents that haven’t paid to view his art.

“His protest is now out-of-control and preventing house sales and devaluing properties within Strathbeg Drive.

“He cannot be allowed to continue protesting in this way and it’s about time Fife  Council and Police Scotland put a halt to this so-called fly tipping and classing it as art.”

Mr Carbonaro’ s “sculpture park” includes a woolly mammoth, a Spanish galleon and a spider.

In August 2020, The Courier reported on the shrine he created during the Covid pandemic.

“I started building the chapel on the day the lockdown was announced, when I was fixing the roof to my summer house,” Mr Carbonaro said.

He recently added household items such as fridges and shopping trolleys to his outdoor display.

John said: “Initially I didn’t mind it so much but my mum who died recently, aged 86, always found it an eyesore.

“I actually quite liked some of his work but this has now got totally out of hand.

The Bark Park is ‘rubbish and an eyesore’

“This rubbish said by Carbonaro to be art is a complete mess.

“It’s rubbish and an eyesore and must also be a fire hazard.”

John says neighbours have supported his petition.

“I’ve tried everything from going to the council, my member of parliament, the police and the fire service in a bid to get something done but no one seems to be interested in helping us,” he said.

One neighbour said: “It’s an eyesore and it’s attracting potential unwanted individuals.

“Safety fears have been well expressed and this has been an issue for me since 2015. It’s a residential area.”

Mr Carbonaro said: “The urgent need to protect my privacy, intellectual property, and the busker home model led to the latest artivist campaign, ‘Wows don’t grow on trees, garbage and clutter do.’

“The silent and peaceful ‘visual noise’ of this campaign cannot be labelled as antisocial behaviour, nor is it breaking any laws.

“The ‘Dalgety Baycott’ will continue until the rights of busker homes and those of their buskers/inventors, including myself, are properly acknowledged and respected.”

Police Scotland say they are aware of the situation but wouldn’t comment due to a lack of criminality.

Alastair Hamilton, service manager at Fife Council, confirmed that council colleagues have visited the property.

“We responded to a complaint and having investigated the concerns, no further action is being taken,” she said.

“However, the concerns of neighbours have been raised with the owners of the property.”